Suchergebnisse

Industrial mining is currently one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy, particularly in the Global South. The present mining boom is, however, accompanied by numerous conflicts: conflicts over labour relations, over territorial control and access to water and land resources, over the effects on local livelihoods, on gender relations and ecological systems, and over the distribution of profits and tax revenues. In this paper, a typology of mining conflicts is developed, starting with existing case studies of current conflicts over industrial mining in sub-Saharan Africa and building on my own research in Burkina Faso. In contrast to existing typologies, the one presented here is based not on the subjects of the conflicts but on actor constellations: conflicts between trade unions and mining companies; between civil society organisations on the one hand and the state and mining companies on the other; and between artisanal miners and mining companies. I argue that historically shaped socio-ecological and socio-economic conditions, namely the existing land usages, have a crucial effect on the actors and actor constellations in conflicts over mining, and that different actors have different means of engaging in conflict at their disposal, and thus rely on different repertoires of contention when engaging in collective conflicts. ; Der industrielle Bergbau ist gegenwärtig einer der am stärksten wachsenden Wirtschaftssektoren weltweit, insbesondere im Globalen Süden. Der aktuelle Bergbau-Boom geht mit einer Vielzahl an Konflikten einher: um Arbeitsbeziehungen, um territoriale Kontrolle und den Zugang zu Wasser- und Landressourcen, um die Auswirkungen auf lokale livelihoods, auf Geschlechterverhältnisse und Ökosysteme sowie um die Verteilung der Gewinne und Steuereinnahmen. Dieses Kapitel entwickelt ausgehend von bestehenden Fallstudien zu gegenwärtigen Konflikten um den industriellen Bergbau in Subsahara-Afrika sowie aufbauend auf eigene Forschungen in Burkina Faso eine Typologie von Bergbaukonflikten. ...

This commentary traces recent regime change and political transition in Burkina Faso. After mass demonstrations Blaise Compaoré was forced to resign his presidency on 31 October 2014. His resignation was preceded by his attempt to change the constitution to allow him to stand for a fifth consecutive term in office. It is argued in this briefing that the way Compaoré's rule ended should have come as no surprise because it was typical of both Burkina Faso's political history since decolonisation and also the army's historical role in the country's presidential turnover. It was also typical of the current wave of mass protest struggles taking place in other African countries.

The article examines the relationship of riots to more organised and sustained protests by trade unions and other established oppositional organisations. It focuses on protests related to the 2007–2008 food and fuel price crisis. In a case study on Burkina Faso, actors, means and achievements of the popular struggles are analysed. It is argued that protests by the trade unions on the one side and riots on the other relate to one another. Both present struggles by different segments of the popular classes that sometimes use different means but emerge from the same structural causes and address the same problem.

Global crises - the financial crisis, the energy crisis, the food crisis - have numerous social, political, and ecological impacts at the local level. This article examines the relationship of global crises and local conflicts using protests against the high cost of living in Burkina Faso as an example. Burkina Faso was among the states that witnessed particularly intense confrontations related to the global food price crisis of 2007/2008. How are global crises mediated so that they lead to conflicts and collective action at the national and local level? This question is dealt with referring to the analytical concepts of scale and framing. Global crises result in political protest, when oppositional actors successfully frame them in a way that links them to existing conflicts and claims, thus mobilizing protest potentials. Adapted from the source document.